Education
A native of College Park, Georgia, Burnett attended North Clayton High School, where he played for the North Clayton Eagles high school football team
A native of College Park, Georgia, Burnett attended North Clayton High School, where he played for the North Clayton Eagles high school football team
He played college football for Georgia Institute of Technology. He was selected by the Packers in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the 71st overall pick. He was named Class American Association of Advertising Agencies first-team all-state as a senior after earning honorable mention all-state recognition at quarterback as a sophomore.
He made 135 tackles as a senior and six interceptions including three that he returned for touchdowns.
Burnett was also a four-year letterman in track & field, where he was one of the states top performers in the triple jump. He got a personal-best leap of 47 ft, 12 in (1461 meters) in the triple jump.
He also competed in the long jump, 400-meters and relays. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Burnett ranked seventh among safety prospects nationwide.
He was offered athletic scholarship by a number of high-major schools, including Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia, before choosing to attend Georgia Technical on January 10, 2007.
As a freshman, Burnett played in all 13 games and started against University of North Carolina. He subbed at safety and came in on the nickel package all season. Burnett led the team in interceptions (3) and ranked fifth on the team in tackles (57, 37 solo). He subsequently earned Administrative Committee on Company-ordination All-Freshman team by Sporting News.
As a sophomore in 2008, Burnett started all 13 games for the Yellow Jackets.
He recorded 93 tackles, of which 62 were solo. Burnett also had seven interceptions and returned them for 95 yards.
In the season opener versus Jacksonville State, he picked off two Ryan Perrilloux passes, returning one of them 47 yards.
Later in the season, he picked off a Matthew Stafford pass and returned it 35 yards for his first career touchdown at Georgia.
Burnett was named to a number of All-Administrative Committee on Company-ordination and All-American teams, including Pro Football Weekly′s 2008 All-America first team On January 11, 2010, Burnett announced he would enter his name in the 2010 NFL Draft and forgo his senior season. On April 23, 2010, he was drafted in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
Burnett recorded his first career interception in week 2 of the 2010 NFL season against the Buffalo Bills.
However, on October 4, Burnett tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament and missed the remainder of his rookie season. He was placed on injured reserve three days later.
In the 2012 season, he was one of two defensive players in the NFL to play every snap in every game in the season, along with James Laurinaitis of the Saint Louis Rams. On July 19, 2013, Burnett signed a four-year, $24.75 million contract extension.